


there's something lonesome, something wholesome about you

by amazonia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuddling, Locked In, M/M, Pining, Winter, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-12 09:18:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12956145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amazonia/pseuds/amazonia
Summary: the forecast calls for a snowstorm, a couple confessions, and lots of books.or, in which two boys with mutual crushes spend time together in a big ol library.





	there's something lonesome, something wholesome about you

**Author's Note:**

> for jocelyn - i’m your secret santa !! i hope you liked it (it was fun to write:)

Hunk liked the snow.

He liked the soft crunching he heard whenever he stepped onto it. He liked dancing around and making snow angels with his nieces and nephews. And he liked the relaxing atmosphere it gave off whenever he watched it - it was quite nice. 

However, Hunk  _strongly disliked_ the cold, so he tried to admire his favourite weather from the warmest position he could get. In tonight's case, it was the library. 

"Y'know they're called for a storm tonight, right?" His roommate, Lance, tried to talk him out of leaving the dorms. Like Hunk, he hated the cold, but he couldn't understand how this assignment was more important than staying...alive.

Hunk wrapped his blue wool scarf around his neck and pulled out his cellphone from his pocket to check the time. "It's only 3," he stated, tugging on his beanie. "I'll study for a couple hours and maybe we can meet up in the hall, okay?" He promised Lance, but it was more directed to himself.

Lance folded his hands into his lap and leaned against the wall. "This assignment can't be so important that you're willing to catch hypothermia for it." He grumbled, causing Lance to chuckle. "That's where you're wrong, pal. I'll see you later." He closed the door behind him and made his way down the hallway. 

As he waited for the elevator, two other students made their way past him. "...freezing rain!" "I heard...a blizzard...." was overheard from their conversation and Hunk gulped, pulling out his phone to set an alarm to leave for 5. 

He can do it...he hopes.

-

Keith can't remember the last time he actually stayed in his dorm, but he's sure his roommate loves the space.

He doesn't have a valid reason for spending all of his time in the library - he didn't even like to read as a child. But somehow after every lecture, every class, Keith finds himself back in the same chair by the same window with a new book. 

Maybe it's a distraction from his procrastination, maybe it's inspiration, but Keith knows he can't find better comfort than deep in the pages of a book. 

"What are you reading today?" A tall library assistant asked while slipping books into empty spots on the messy shelves. Shay often worked in the library - so much Keith didn't quite believe that she was a student. He didn't notice she was talking to him until he noticed her staring at the lively cover of his book. "Oh,  _The Great Gatsby_." he replied, offering her a proper look at the cover. Shay nodded and turned back to shelving books. "I've heard a lot about that one. Have you read any others of his?"

Keith shook his head, and let her go back to shelving. They were silent until Shay pulled a book from her cart and walked over to Keith, offering him a glimpse at the cover. "American Gods? Isn't that a show?" he asked, glancing up at Shay. She shrugged and replied, "Everyone thinks the book is better, according to what I've picked up." Keith raised an eyebrow, but closed his own to read the jacket's description. It _looked_  interesting, and it was suggested by someone who's surrounded by books all the time. 

"Thanks Shay," Keith replied, and the assistant smiled. "You look like the fantasy type," Keith nodded and returned a small smile. "Right, Shay. Thanks," He crossed his legs and continued  _The Great Gatsby,_ ignoring the flurries of snow cascading down to the ground past the window behind him. 

Hours passed, dozens of student trickled in and out of the library, and the snow kept falling. All was calm. 

Keith only returned to reality when he heard his phone go off in his hoodie pocket. 4 missed calls, mostly Pidge but there was also one from Shiro. He unlocked his phone to call his apparently worried roommate. "Hey," he answered, pulling his backpack off of the floor and slipped  _Gatsby_ inside. "Look who finally picked up. Are you still at the library?" She interrogated, sounding upset. Pidge never got upset about Keith's whereabouts, unless it was past midnight. 

"Yeah, why?" Keith had to pull the phone away from his ear as Pidge groaned loudly through the speaker. "Dummy, they're calling for a blizzard. I've already stocked up on food and the RA wants to make sure everyone's okay. If you leave now -" "Wait,  _what_?" Keith pressed in a harsh tone, shooting up from his seat, slinging his backpack on his back and clutching his books to his chest.

He could hear Pidge roll her eyes from across the campus. "This is why you pick up your phone," Keith heard her mutter. "There's supposed to be a blizzard, lasts maybe the weekend? Your brother even came by to see you." Keith gritted his teeth and pulled his phone away to check the time. 4:52pm. "If I leave now, I can make it before it gets -" he paused to look out a window; the snow was piling up quickly. "- worse." 

"Exactly. I think the school sent out an email telling everyone to stay put until at least 7." Pidge explained and Keith nearly collapsed to the ground from frustration. "You're joking!" He nearly yelled, covering his mouth with his books and glanced around the library; it was nearly empty save for a study group and someone in a bright yellow sweater at the other end, writing intensely. Keith's cheeks began to heat up at the sight before quickly averting his glare.

"Sorry, dude. I'll keep you posted with details, y'know, if you keep your phone on." Pidge went on and Keith rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Bye," Keith ended the call and turned off his phone with too much force, kicking at the ground at his situation.  _Calm down,_ he thought to himself.  _You could have it a lot worse_. 

Keith nodded and his eyes scanned the large, mostly abandoned library until he found the person he wanted to talked to. "Hey Shay, need a hand with those?" He offered and the taller assistant grinned at his company.

-

Hunk was a mess. 

He was 3/4 through his assignment but he was already staying almost an hour over his expected departure time. And the radio station he was listening definitely didn't help - they were continuously talking about weather updates in between songs. Hunk repeatedly bit his lip and readjusted the gold headband that pushed back his bangs. This was  _bad,_ he had to tell Lance.

lancelot \- **yeah its so bad i cant see outside our window**

you're kidding right? - me 

please tell me you're kidding -  me

lancelot \- **sadly not**

lancelot \- **i think the ra's gonna do attendance or somethin**

oh man i don't think anyway here is aware about outside - me

lancelot \- **i checked the school's website everyone's under house arrest until like 8**

lancelot \- **thats when theyre gonna bring out the plows**

 

Hunk sunk his head so it rested against the cool wooden table in front of his books. This was terrible - he should've stayed in his dorm and worked there. Sure Lance was distracting, but at least he wouldn't be practically alone in this giant library. Hunk wasn't even sure if he'd been in here before today; it was so large and unfamiliar to him. 

He was sitting at a long desk that overlooked dozens of bookshelves. Hunk bit his lip again before returning to his phone. 

thats only like an hour and a half - me

i'll be fine - me

lancelot \- **you sure?**

 

That was a good question. He could already feel his heartbeat increasing rapidly in his chest, the sound filling his eardrums. Suddenly, there was laughter from somewhere away from him. So he wasn't completely alone. He'd noticed the library filled and emptied fairly quickly, but as the sky got darker, more people left than arrived; so he assumed he was the last one.

 

yeah... - me

yeah, i will - me

lancelot -  **maybe your bf will be there**

 

Hunk rolled his eyes at the last text and stacked his scattered papers into a nice pile before slipping them into his binder; there was too much on his mind to complete his work anyway. He wasn't normally a procrastinator but the deadline wasn't until midnight Sunday, so he could breathe for a bit.

As Hunk made his over to the cheerful voices, his intense heart stopped for half a second when he got a glimpse of long, dark hair tied up into a short ponytail. He shifted his position and felt his cheek heat up. This was the guy Lance named _book boy_ ; he was found in every corner on campus, but not without a book in his grasp. He was in Hunk's Modern Literature course - kind of broodish, looked grumpy but in a cute way and Hunk stared at him way too often. Wait,  _how long has he been fawning over this guy?_

He didn't realize how long he'd been staring at him until a bright voice called his name. "Hunk!" his friend, Shay, waved him over to the two of them and Hunk deeply inhaled.  _Stay calm, stay calm_ , he repeated to himself as he made his way in between the bookshelves, standing next to Shay with a somewhat forced smile on his face.

"Hey, I didn't know you were working today," he replied, stuffing his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie and offered a warm smile to Book Boy, who pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeah well, I'm trying to put my work off for as long as possible. My head's not in the best place." She told him, folding her hands and leaning against a bookshelf. For a minute, Hunk realized that Shay was actually quite taller than him and Book Boy.

Suddenly, there was a loud, sharp _clang_ from another end of the library and Shay's expression turned sour for a minute. "Oh man, I think our coffee machine's starting up! I'm gonna see if it actually works." She explained, running off towards the loud noise. Hunk turned to look at Book Boy, who was sitting against a bookshelf and reading what looked like  _The Great Gatsby -_ the same book he was reading earlier in their lecture as well.

Hunk slid down to the floor against the bookshelf, sitting opposite of his infatuation. "Is it a good book?" He blurted out, causing the boy to jump. "H-huh?" he responded, surprised. Hunk could feel his cheeks burn with embarrassment. "Sorry, I meant..is the book good? Do you like it?" he restated his question, hoping he'd be gentler this time. 

- 

Keith nodded and closed his book. "I really enjoy it. The movie is decent, but the book is much better," he answered, looking up to meet a large pair of warm, brown eyes. When Keith recognized the large, yellow hoodie, he meant from across his lecture hall and occasionally on campus and in the dining hall; he never thought that he'd be actually engaging in a conversation with him.

"I think my friend showed me the movie. I was sorta lost, " He chuckled, lightly scratching his chin. Keith nodded, glancing back the cover of his book. "Do you like movies?" he suddenly blurting out, hoping to keep the conversation going. He prayed that the other guy wouldn't notice his poor conversational skills outside of books, movies and cliche pop music. 

 He let out a chuckle - one that lifted Keith's heart - before answering, "I love movies, especially fantasy, which is pretty dorky. I like sci-fi too, mainly to criticize but they can be fun." Keith tilted his head at his reply. "Criti- wait, what are you studying?" He pressed, now curious.

"Guess it's a good a time as any for proper introductions," he said, pulling off the gold headband which caused his bangs to fall around his eyes. Keith sharply inhaled as he extended his hand. "I'm Hunk, engineer major. I dabble in computers too, but not as good as that Holt." He continued, offering a smile.

 _Hunk...it really suits him_ , Keith thought to himself before taking Hunk's warm hand in his. "Keith, I - wait, you know Pidge?" he asked loudly, and Hunk scratched the back of his head. "We went to a couple engineering camps together. How do  _you_ know her?" He stated, focusing on Keith's faded, red sneakers than his face. 

"She's my roommate! I've known her since she could walk, oh my god, why hasn't she mentioned you to me?! Especially since -" Keith rattled on, irritated that his closest friend never mentioned her connections to the guy he's been fond of since Freshman orientation.  _That little shit_.

Hunk scooted closer to Keith and rested his head in his hands. "Sinceee?" he drawled out, staring at the other boy with wide eyes. Keith's eyebrows raised and he turned his face away before Hunk could notice his growing blush. "N-nothing, it's fine," But Hunk clearly wasn't willing to let it go, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. 

Keith just huffed and brushed his hair back. "It's just...this might sound weird, but I really admire you," he admitted, feeling his cheeks burn.  _Isn't it a little too soon for a confession?_ "Me?" Hunk's silly question caused Keith to roll his eyes. "What  _haven't_ you done?!" he was starting to get louder and even more red. "You're like a top student, your robotics club wins every competition out there and you're so nice to everyone," 

Hunk's jaw was lower and his face felt warm in his hands as he quickly turned his face so Keith wouldn't catch his sheepish grin. "I...I don't- well what about  _you_?" He snapped back, sitting up from his sunken position. Keith shot him a flustered, but confused look. "What  _about_ me?" he shrieked and Hunk had to bit his lip from chuckling at Keith's high voice. "What?!" 

"I don't know, but you always look...so pretty whenever I see you read somewhere," He mumbled, but quickly rubbed his eyes and shook his head in embarrassment. "Arghh, that sounds weird - never mind!" 

Keith, on the other hand, hid his grin behind the sleeve that covered most of his hand. "Do you really think so?" he asked softly and he jumped when Hunk's head shot up at him at lightning speed. "Who wouldn't?" He exclaimed excitedly and Keith's grin grew, beyond the point of hiding it.

The pair smiled at each other for a while in silence before Hunk started twisting the headband in his hands. "Wait - so you really meant what you said?" he repeated quietly, not making an attempt to look at Keith. "Yeah, why wouldn't I?" he said simply, crossing his legs and turning to face his fellow student. 

"Well for starters, I'm not...I'm no one really important," he admitted in a quiet voice, like he was carefully choosing his words - like he was afraid of Keith's reaction. "And besides, we barely know each other!" Keith scratched the back of his head, silently admitting that Hunk had a point. He then reached into his pocket and whipped out his cellphone, tapping multiple apps before slipping the device onto Hunk's lap.

He raised an eyebrow at Keith who tapping his cellphone. "So we can get to know each other better," he stated simply, grinning as he witnessed a small smile form across Hunk's face. He quickly tapped the screen before handing the device back to Keith. 

The wind howled loudly against the windows nearby the pair, nothing but snow falling as far as either of them could see. "Oh jeez," Hunk mumbled, leaning his head onto Keith's shoulder who was silently praying for Hunk not to notice his nervous shaking. "It's a good thing I stayed in here," 

Keith nodded, eyes travelling across their snow-covered campus. He let a deep sigh as the small snowflakes softly tumbled into the ground, colliding with each other. Keith laid his head onto of Hunk's and closed his eyes. "Yeah," he whispered calmly. 

Hunk took it back. He loved the snow.

 


End file.
